Tony Thelen’s Post

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Executive Coach, Advisor, Author, Board Member

Nothing like starting a weekend reading a kind, loving original idea. The reason I like this is because it's local, it is kind and loving at its core, and it is a way for any single person to make a small dent of improvement against the despair others may be dealing with. What a wonderful way to be the light in someone's day.

View profile for Steve Gatena, graphic

CEO at PRAY.COM

There is a little coffee shop, where two people arrive and approached the counter. “Five coffees please. Two for us and three hanging.” They paid, they took their two coffees and left. I asked the waiter. "What’s this about hanging coffees?" “Wait and you'll see." Some more people came in. Two girls asked for a coffee each, they paid & left. The following order was for seven coffees and it was made by three women - ‘three for them and four hanging coffees.’ I was left wondering...what is the meaning of the hanging coffees, they leave. Then, a man dressed in worn clothes, who looks like he might be homeless, arrives at the counter and asks sincerely... “Do you have a coffee hanging?" “Yes we do, sir.” They serve him a coffee.... I got my answer. People pay in advance for a coffee that will be served to whoever can't afford a hot drink. This tradition started in Naples. Amazingly, it has spread throughout the world’s cities and towns. It’s also possible to order not only "hanging coffees" but also a sandwich or a full low cost meal. Wouldn’t it be great if we could all start doing this in the cities and towns where we live? Small kindnesses like this can impact so many lives, in ways we could never imagine. Maybe we should all try it.

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Ira Liebman

Renewal by Andersen

2mo

That’s awesome! What restaurant is doing that?

Alexandra Hugeanu

Driving Operational Excellence and Team Success

2mo

We should!! I will take this idea to my downstairs bakery ❤️ What’s the worst that can happen, they can say no 🤷♀️

Ethan J. Schumann

#EthanPoem ✒️ (Don't) follow me for Spontaneous Poetry, Freestyle (W)rapping (Paper) & Free Association...

2mo

Have you seen organizations hanging their hats on something like this, Bob DePasquale, CFP®CAP® "The Generosity Guy" 😃? What's the best way to start?

Great initiative: it appears to be replicating the famous "pizza sospesa" one (literally "hanging pizza") or "caffe' sospeso" (hanging coffee) that has been a tradition from Naples (Italy) for few centuries. Great way to give back and share with the less fortunate.

Joe Allen

I help leaders build Management Systems that Drive Results. 🏆 | Posts and Articles about Business Transformation & Results-Driven Management

2mo

Very generous of people. Also, a way for this coffee shop to make a lot more money.

Maziar Jamnejad

Technology | Litigation | Investigations

2mo

It's a thing in Italy. They call it a 'caffe sospeso'. You pay for an extra coffee at the place. Anyone can come in and ask for one and they get it no questions asked.

Rob McPherson

Ex-P&G/Sandoz/Kraft Foods/Bacardi - *NOW POSTING EXCLUSIVELY ON SUBSTACK (all the best stuff)*

2mo

I think it's a great test of our overall societal state - how many people who can afford to pay for a meal, provide one for free and how many people who can afford to pay for a meal, take one for free...

Pierre van Weperen

CEO Grow Pharma | Grow Group UK | Chair of the Board at Dutch National MS Society | Member of the Exec of the CIC

2mo

I love this idea for small communities, villages etc. With continental coffee prices I can see how that would work. With £4 for a cappuccino in London it makes it just a little bit less of an executable idea. Combine that with the hordes of professional beggars run by the (chose from Albanian, Rumanian, Bulgarian a.o.) mafia that make it difficult to see who is real and who is not ….. Nice story, nice idea though.

Thorsten Speil

Trainer at Maxpert GmbH - 🕊 it is not impossible for everyone to live together in peace 👩👨🏿🦱👳🏽♂️

2mo

not to do big... but there is often some woman or man begging at the supermarket. I usually don't give money, but I always buy them something to eat. Usually for more than I would otherwise give them as coin. Often, I don't habe any cash money with me any more, because I pay everything by phone. But like that I can still give them something. Plus a smile, a nice word. When it was really cold I especially pitied them sitting outside, so I took a thermos of tea and some cups with me, so they could get something warm while I went into the grocery market. Prevails you find this good ideas, too

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